| Build summary | PvP/120 - A Magic based Melee build that utilizes Moon and Crescent weapons to the extreme. |
| Recommended starting class(es) | Royal |
| Recommended Soul Level | |
|
Recommended stats (Leave at default (**) if not raised) |
|
| Vitality | 45 |
| Will/Intelligence | 14 |
| Endurance | 40 |
| Strength | (18)-20 |
| Dexterity | 14 |
| Magic | 44-(46) |
| Faith | 16 |
| Luck | ** |
| Recommended equipment |
RH1: Moon Great Sword/Great Axe/Crescent Axe/Claymore+5/Northern Regalia |
| Recommended spells/miracles |
This build has been put on here by request and is to address the lack of pure Magic based Melee builds. This build is very fun and rewarding and I encourage people to try it out. This guide is long, so get your reading glasses out. Also, this build is for more advanced players who are familiar with farming methods, gecko locations, and general advanced information about the game’s ins-and-outs. I’ll list the possible weapon options available below. Since this build can utilize two different weapon paths and NR, it might be in no particular order…I’m also going to list some possible sub-builds. Yes, sub-builds because builds can get old and here are ways to get diversity into the mix to keep the game fun! Possible weapons as Moon path: Mace/Morning Star/Pickaxe/War Pick/Claws/Iron Knuckles/Guillotine Axe/Crescent Axe/Great Axe/Knight Sword/Flamberge/Claymore/Great Sword/Winged Spear/Halberd/Mirdan Hammer/War Scythe Possible as Crescent path: Estoc/Parrying Dagger/Secret Dagger Available as both paths: Kilij/Uchigatana/Flamberge/Broadsword Other Weapons of importance: Northern Regalia/Morion Blade/Kris+5/Talisman of Beasts/Magic Sword “Makoto” The huh? Weapons: Claws+10, Blessed Iron Knuckles+5, Shotel+10, Mirdan Hammer+10 Saying wow, why is all this listed? Well, because scrolling through all the pages on the wiki for what weapon can be made what gets old… Every weapon of interest to this build is listed here, all on one page. There are other weapons that may have not made it to the list, this is because I just simply haven't tried it yet. Okay! So what to actually use? An Uchigatana IS the fastest off-hand swinging weapon in the game. It definitely has a place here; And with that said, a Moon/Crescent Uchi+5 is going to be in your Left hand Slot #1 at all times, period! With Moon being the better option. You’re going to need to cast spells/miracles right? Talisman of Beasts in Left Hand Slot #2. The right hand slots are where this build truly shines. I’m going to actually list three different sub-builds that dramatically change the way you play this hero. It’s like having three entirely different builds in one, and makes this build never get old! We’ve already decided what our left hand slots are, they will never change unless you plan to go into hyper mode (clever rats ring and morion blade). I’ll let you decide about that. All Melee: Right Hand #1, Damage dealer: Moon Great Sword/Great Axe, Crescent Axe, Claymore, or Northern Regalia. Great Sword being the best option, Crescent Axe coming in second. I'll explain more in detail below. Right Hand#2, Combo dealer/finisher: Mirdan Hammer, Knight Sword, Mace, Guillotine Axe, Secret Dagger, Estoc. Mirdan Hammer, or Estoc/Secret Dagger being best options. Armor/Spells/Miracles: Silver Coronet will up your mana pool to 116 points with 14 intelligence. You will always wear this, oh and you’re going to make your Hero Bald, more about this later! So with 116 mana - Two magic slots, and Two Miracle slots you’re going to carry Second Chance and Warding. What both? Yes, utilizing both in PVP is very effective; It really catches your opponent off guard. If you're Second Chance is cracked the casting of Warding is fast, most likely your opponent is going to put pressure on you to end the fight and a recast of Second Chance can be difficult unless you pull off a backstab. Against an opponent relying on Curse Weapon, or pure physical damage this will enable you valuable time to consume heals and spices while the damage your taking is low. It’s also a kick-a** spell for PvE when you’re trying to advance through the game. Don’t rely 100% on Warding though, It’s not a fail-safe; It’s merely you’re limited shield to chug spices and heals until it wears off and then you’ll be ready to re-cast Second Chance after the next successful Backstab. You can wear whatever armor you want without taking off Silver Coronet. Black boots being the best leggings due to the silent footsteps feature. Don’t wear a chest piece because it’s manly. For arms wear the Shamans arms. You look like a beast carrying an Uchigatana and a Great Sword. Tips and Tactics: Your going into this fight at both ends of the Spectrum. You have a speedy weapon teamed up with a slower Power-House. The Uchigatana is very fast in its attack; While the Great Sword is a large,slow recovery weapon. However, surprisingly some of the combos you can put together can be relatively fast in execution. Typically, your going to be using the L1 attack of the Uchigatana ALOT. Executing rolls, recover with a swing of L1. On ocassion, recover from a roll with R1. The Great Sword's rolling R1 attack has knockdown which is essential. After you land an effective knockdown, two-hand the Great Sword and go golfing with the Running R1 attack as your opponent gets to his feet. Another great assault is L1, backstep (O key), and R1 as the Great Sword back-step attack is suprisingly fast. You can also test your opponents defenses with L1, R2, L1, R2 or L1, L1, L1, R2 which can be exucuted from one stamina bar of 40 endurance. So we'll assume you popped their Second Chance. Now, to finish the fight you can get out your secondary weapon which should be a combo weapon. Mirdan Hammer is definatley effective here, but Knights Swords/Guillotine Axes/ and Secret Dagger's Push/Stun methods will all work great. You could also use another Uchigantana, it doesn't suite my play style but some people swear by it. That’s all for Melee Sub-Build #1. Melee/Light Weapon Build: Right Hand #1, damage dealer: same as “All Melee” build. Moon Weapon+5 Right Hand #2, claws+10, shotel+10, mirdan hammer+10, Secret Dagger+10, etc. Armor/Spells/Miracles: Same as “All Melee,” never take off Silver Coronet for the enhanced mana pool. Your spells/Miracles will slightly change. You’ll be running Second Chance and Light Weapon. With 40+ magic stat, Light Weapon is a great addition and you will still deal great damage lighting-up with the weaker talisman of beasts. However your light weapon will not be terrifying, that is why you only light-up weapons that can chain combos such as the ones listed above. Tips and Tactics: I’m not going to go into great detail about why you would ever want to light-up claws, but it has it’s somewhat "fun factor" when executing 16 hits…. Makes for a great finisher, only to be used after you popped your opponents Second Chance because your damage will not be on par with an Insanity Catalyzed Light Weapon. And oh yeah! this is why your hero is bald. The Shotel is special because 50% of its damage is felt through shields. As magic damage generally passes through many shields in the game, the effects work in unison. A Mirdan Hammer is great for it's blunt damage as it destroys shielded turtles. A Secret Dagger teamed with your Uchigatana in Left Hand will provide devastating stun/lock combos and some magic damage transferred from the stuns *hint*. Overall the gameplay style is very similar to Sub-build#1; Slice, Slice, Slice with Left hand Uchigatana. Your secondary weapon and strategy are completely revamped. Try em both out and see which one you like playing on Monday and which one you like Friday. Pretty diverse Huh? Oh wait, I forgot Wednesday. The NINJA!!! Ninja Build: Let me state this ninja is not as effective as a pure dexterity based full on fatal estoc/secret dagger build. However for pure fun factor it can be very effective and frankly destroys opponents using Warding. Can anyone say Invading 1-3 or 1-4 for blues? Right Hand #1, damage dealer: Northern Regalia, Crescent Estoc/Secret Dagger. Right Hand #2, damage dealer: Great Axe/Crescent Axe for damage dealing splash effects. Armor/Spells/Miracles: Tips and Tactics: The ninja is pretty straight forward, No Regenerative abilities since you’re trying to stay invisible and go in for the killing backstab. This means wearing Thieves ring and Dull Rats ring for protection. However, if dull rats activates you need to quickly heal to get rid of the aura. Do not use Regenerators Ring, Fragrant Ring, or Eternal Warriors rings. They are an easy give away. You’re probably wondering about the Crescent Weapons right? Well, heres how it goes: You enter the game with Right Hand #2 weapon or Northern Regalia since they don’t have auras. Once you’re fully stealthy and ready to strike for a backstab switch out to your crescent dagger/estoc and do business. On the retreat switch out the crescent weapon to maintain your ninja invisibility. It’s not uncommon to see around 750-950 backstab damage from these weapons. It is a lot of magic damage so opponents/blues using warding will truly feel the burn. You have a Moon Great Axe/Moon Crescent Axe on Secondary for devastating Rolling R1 attack which deals 500+ damage and has a nice splash effect that usually finishes the opponents with no problems whatsoever. Again, the fact they are using Warding makes them cake. You’re doing massive Magic Damage and they will feel it. That’s it for the sub- builds… |
| Gameplay tips and progression |
Gameplay Progression: Theres many ways to go about the way you get through the game. I’m going to tell you very briefly what to get. Let me tell you that moonlight stone is hard to get for a reason. This build is testament to that. Talk with your friends online to get some spare stones if they have any because you ARE limited to how many you can get per play through of the game. Only Geckos drop moonlight stone. And it’s easy to make them go extinct. Wait until you can get pure black world tendency in Latria before even trying to farm the Geico’s. Alternatively, you can farm the reaper in 4-2 for shards and chunks of Dark moonstone; And with Pure black world tendency the two geckos at Storm Rulers Stone will drop Pure Moonlightstones. Use a thieves ring and hyper-mode soul ray to jump them one at a time. Shards of the stones can be purchased from the vendors of each respective world, 3-1 or 4-2. Your first weapon to start investing upgrade material into is a Crescent Secret Dagger and a Moon Uchigatana. The dagger can carry you through your entire first game and maybe even your 2nd and 3rd playthrough. Once you learn the push/shove combo with the Dagger and Uchigatana you should be able to dispose of many who try your skills. The next item should be a Moon Great Sword/Axe or Claymore. The Great Sword/Axe is the most difficult Moon item to get requiring TONS of stones. And most likely you won’t have the materials to finish forging them your first play through. Go for Northern Regalia Instead at the end of your first play through. Northern Regalia is extremely Strong given you have the character tendency to work it. I suggest helping some hosts kill invaders to get pure white or if you like invading just kill people, that’s usually fastest. Invading being the manly way! Winning at 3vs1 will get you to Pure Black much faster! It is possible to get Northern Regalia in your first playthrough. Carry the miracle Evacuate with you when you enter the “Old One.” After you kill the Allant Slug take the sword and use evacuate. DO NOT END GAME YET! After you evacuate goto 2-1 and forge your NR. NOW end game with 540dmg!! NR is arguably the most overpowered weapon in the game due to its no stat scaling damage boosts. It fits this build great as it’s damage is halved magic and physical, just like the moon weapon path. Other bits of helpful stuff: The huh? Weapons: Blessed Iron Knuckles+5 , the reason for this is RIPOSTE/PARRY. No other item in the game lets you have Life regen and Riposte/Parry in one. Adjudicators shield gives slightly more HP regen but has a worthless block and a shield slam or something not even worth losing stamina over. Correct me if I missed another item that has both but as far as I know ONLY the Iron knuckle has blessed path and can riposte/parry. No other item has it. And riposte with some of the weapons this build will use will see around 1250 damage without hyper mode! Just some food for thought for when doing PvE or for some exciting challenges in PVP. When teamed with the regenerators ring you get around 10 HP a sec regen which is bad, not terrible. Like I mentioned before this build can utilize a ton of weapons. Pick the ones that suite your style. By no means are what I put in the Sub-builds sections the only way to go. Light Weapon: Although this build utilizes the talisman of beast and DOES NOT MEET the requirements (only 16) faith. Light weapon adds 206 magic damage. I wanted to share this before someone notices. The total damage output of my claws+10 are 379 after light-up. Thanks for reading and good luck with the build! Be patient and the rewards are great! Also, the best way to get answers is to ask questions… This is a rough draft, I have more to add. Thanks. |
Definitive Moon Knight
And so few of them worth looking at. It seems to me that what this build is saying is, 'Lots of weapons choices!' You want weapon choices, go with a quality (dex/str) build. It won't be as finely tuned as a build that focuses on one or the other, but it will be better then this.
If you want to have magic damage built into your weapon then go with a faith, BBS, NR, or MC build.
There is no reason to use the magic stat if you're not going to cast attack spells or focus on light weapon. Ever.
Wall of text without offering anything new or useful. -1
I don't really know how to respond to you're comment. I don't mean to sound harsh, but i'm going to be honest with you. You're comment had no value added negative or positive.
It's true this build has alot of weapons to choose from just like a quality build does. A build that concentrates on say Faith will get the Blessed path. A build that goes for strength will get the Crushing path. A build around the Magic stat gets both Crescent AND Moon.
While Quality is a fun and rewarding build as well, it has it's limitations just like every build. The left hand quality weapon cannot be enchanted resulting in low damage. The main weapons can be very powerful but relying on buffs which will wear off over time. The Magic based Melee char will not need ANY buffs to succeed. Additionally, I did a sub-build that can utilize the light weapon feature for fun. I never made any claims that Light weapon or any buff for that matter should be used as your main powerhouse. In fact, I actually stated that Light weapon should not be used unless your opponents Second Chance has been cracked. To conclude your first statement, a quality build will not be better than this. Instead, it's similarly as versitile and rewarding as it has many weapons to choose from BUT relying strickly on buffs.
If you want to have magic damage built into your weapon then go with a faith, BBS, NR, or MC build.
Again this statement is not relevant. This build uses Moon and Crescent weapons, with an added NR thrown in there. And in case you didn't know Moon and Crescent weapons DO have magic damage built into the weapons at ALL times.
There is no reason to use the magic stat if you're not going to cast attack spells or focus on light weapon. Ever.
Fair comment, there are alot of point invested into magic. And as enticing as it is to use spells, the Moon and Crescent weapons do GREAT damage alone. This build was put on here as a pure Melee Based Magic hero, you won't need to cast any spells to succeed, believe me. "As it stated in the first sentence of the Guide."
Even with that said though, the option to use spells is still there. The build does have 2 magic slots and over 100 mana. I didn't put fireball or Soul Ray into the build because I figured I could let players figure out on their own how they like to play. You could meet the requirements of TOB and do great damage, but again its not necessary to succeed in a duel. Or for that matter, part of this Magic Based Melee Build.
Wall of text without offering anything new or useful. -1
I don't know what to say, I was in confusion when you -1 the build because it's too long. As you can tell, I like to read and write. I did state in the beginning that the guide was long. Sorry if you missed that, or forgot what you read. I believe this is how enveloped a guide should be, and IT'S NOT DONE! Quite fankly, most of the guides on here are extremely short and lack information. I don't think it is a Wall of text without offering anything new or useful. -1
Instead, it's a long guide that is open to critisism as long as it's relevant and on topic. I did look at the other guides on the Wiki and felt this one had earned its place here. It is similar to the spell-sword (awesome build BTW) but it DOES have its differences. And in the future, don't bash someones guide with useless information. Keep it in the lines of the build, reference material that was written here with your thoughts as to why or why not and improvements. Again sorry if that was harsh; You did -1 because it was to long, which is just plain silly :)
I was browsing through the builds and wanted to make a comment because I run a very similar build. My main reason is that I wanted a build to have every generic weapon available to me. It started as a Moon/Crescent Build, but has moved more towards a pure Light Weapon build at this point:
V - 50
I - 15
E - 40
S - 18
D - 13 (Can move to 14 if you like to use a Spiked Shield +10)
M - 46
F - 16
L - 7
SL - 125
I typically start off with a Light Weapon +10 weapon with the iCat at the onset of the match, doesn't matter which one. Once LW wears off, I go to a Moon Great Axe +5 that hits like a sledge hammer. When not using LW, I opt for Ignite and you will get three pulls of that with an iCat equiped. If you play your cards right, your opponent will have no clue that you are about to unleash upwards of 500+ damage when they get next to you.
the problem i see with this build is that it relies completely on magic damage… yes, it is effective against warding, but you will be severely crippled vs a faith build with any kind of magical resistant equipment (DSS or RoMD). What i find most effective: dex build. You can use sharp weapons for pure physical damage or moon weapons for magical. Yes, the moon uchi isn't incredibly powerful per hit as the sharp, but it goes through warding and is significant enough to get them running away to heal. A quality build is versatile as well. but requires more stats for similar attack power compared to dex-builds or str-builds. My suggestions: go dex with morion in the left, a sharp weapon in R1 (uchi, estoc, or kilij), and a moon weapon in the R2 (preferably something fast like an uchi). Or another setup: L1- moon uchi, L2- sharp uchi, R1 fatal secret, R2- ToB. You wont be dealing optimal damage with your moon weapons, but it's good enough. If you want the magic touch in your pushes, use SWS (or some turpentine for variety) on any sharp or +10 weapon. On a final note, you'd be better off going to 18 FTH to use the ToB like a spellsword. On a final note, please list your SL in the title :/
If you want to use moon/crescent weapons (because they're so versatile) and have LW available, this is the build to use. Note that I would really recommend going for 15 INT however, so you don't have to use the coronet all the time just to be able to cast SC or ICat LW.
My current build is almost the same as this except I'm using 15 INT, 22 STR and 16 DEX so I can cast LW on the Penetrating sword. It's fast and long range, plus it's ability to be buffed make it a lot of fun, even more so than the boring BBS, even if it doesn't hit as hard.
+1 from me. Good job.
I totally see what you are trying to do with the build, I personally disagree with the chestpiece part because you should be able to wear dark silver chest and still roll, but still very nice…. +1 from me.
what is the actual damage increase from your magic stat at 44 on the +5 moon katana compared to a lower stat of say 20, am working on a simmular build with mag currently 20 and getting about + 37 (cant remember exact) seames to be going up in in twos with every stat at the mo so im guessing at 44 would be about 90 something……dosent seam like much of a bonus for that many stat points??? think i would be better pumping up vit???
like it though +1 from me
Wow, this is great. Get yourself a Crescent or Moon Uchi and running stab a mage for a 1HKO and leave them screaming at the screen. Without the Monks Head Coller, you won't be mistaken for a Spellsword and thus will be thought of as anything but a Magekiller. I'm gonna try this, but maybe add in some more INT for spellcasting. There's something so satisfying about hurling a fireball into someone's face.
+1 for the wall of text that adds valuable variety into the Demon's Souls combat world. ^.^
Great build.
I like these types of builds. A change from just using dual kat's push, trying to escape them, wasting time switching weapons.
Cursed overpowered fast kilij's,etc…
This build is IMO an old school one.
Reason is while diversity of weapons may not have all been used even months back(the game has constantly evolved into fishing for backstabs, 2 hit kills!!!)
Rather, I like countering backstabs, aggressive while some passive playstyle.
Shield(Steel actually) work g-DD-a_ wonders against those winky dinky stype dual Kats.
Congragulations my fine friend. You made an honest, fair, decent build that if used properly can great. Run while casting, swipe out NR or moon weapon.
Or, try using ignite or anohter firespell sporadically-whebn least expect it or finishing move.
Worth it!
One final but pretty big note: To use parry daggar, need 16 in dex or it won't meet requirements!
+1
Remember though, watch out for those faith builds. Fire magic=strong offensive spells against any kind of build, but using non-magic spells and a moon upgraded weapon(crescent does ok damage against faith) does doo-doo damage. Moon Uchi(not a uchi kind of player/playboy does crap against faith.
Nevertheless, decent against dex having that uchi's in left side.
Check out my build NR splash I created as well. The stats similar except used more intelligence, SL 140 build.
Have one similar uses NR, with Ignite/Fireball combo.
+1